IELTS Essay: Laws to Limit Working Hours

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

In many countries, it is common for the state to constrain the number of hours a person can work within any given day. In my opinion, this law is designed to discourage exploitation and is decidedly positive overall.

The main reason the average workday is limited by law is that otherwise companies could take advantage of their employees. The evidence for this comes from past centuries before such laws were passed. Around the beginning of the industrial revolution, it was a common practice in European countries for individuals to work 12 to 16 hours a day. If an employee protested then they might be fired or even physically harmed. Today, there are very few countries where corporations have the ability to make inhumane physical and mental demands on employees.

Limiting a person’s working laws is beneficial to society as it ensures workers have time for themselves. In countries where these laws do not exist or are poorly defined, there may still be instances of child labor or long working days. For example, in several East Asian countries, factory workers must live and work at their jobs with little opportunity for an outside life. In contrast, in countries with strict labor laws, a person possesses more time for family, hobbies, and friends. Free time is one way of guaranteeing better quality of life and overall satisfaction, benefits which can have ramifications for society as a whole.

In conclusion, laws related to working conditions protect workers and for that reason are positive. It is also essential that countries enforce the laws they have passed.